Congress Flirts With Govt. Shutdown

Here we go again: an interparty battle is brewing over a crucial budget bill that would fund the federal government through November. At issue is the inclusion of disaster aid, which House Republicans say should be included in the bill and be offset by cuts to an energy program. Senate Democrats have objected, instead wishing to substitute a separate plan that would allocate billions more, without the cuts. If the Democrats' measure is approved in the Senate, the GOP says it won’t pass muster in the House. “We are not going to cave on this,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday.